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Eco News
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Businesses across the region are backing the latest stage in a campaign to protect some of the North-East's most precious wildlife.
1 August 2007
Region's businesses to back wildlife protection campaign
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Businesses across the region are backing the latest stage in a campaign to protect some of the North-East's most precious wildlife.
This month saw the launch of the revised Durham Biodiversity Action Plan (DBap), which identifies important natural habitats, often on land owned by businesses, and recommends how they should be protected.
Covering County Durham, Wearside, South Tyneside and Gateshead, it is managed by the Durham Biodiversity Partnership, whose members range from Durham Wildlife Trust to Northumbrian Water.
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Northumbrian Water, a founder member of the partnership and one of its funders, has been involved in a number of projects including:
* Wildlife surveys on its land;
* Habitat creation, including planting more than 8,000 trees and shrubs on five of its sites in the Durham Bap area, helping to restore old hedgerows and starting work to assess the number of reptiles on its land;
* A scheme to treat sewage and minewater discharge that resulted in the creation of an eight hectare reedbed in Lamesley, on the River Team. The project, by Northumbrian Water and the Coal Authority, will significantly improve water quality and help birds including merlin, linnet, reed bunting and yellow wagtail;
* Funding Durham Bird Club's work transforming a wetland in Bishop Middleham, near Sedgefield, County Durham, to provide new habitats for a number of birds, including lapwing, curlew, snipe and skylark. Funding also came from the County Durham Environmental Trust;
* Supporting a project to preserve grass snakes. Funded by the company and SITA's Enriching Nature fund, the project aims to improve habitats along the river Derwent. Partners, who include Gateshead and Derwentside councils and the Forestry Commission, will also manage riverside land to provide more compost piles - crucial for egg laying success.
* Work at the recently-built water treatment works, in Wearhead, near Ireshopeburn, Weardale. When the old works was demolished, the company surveyed the area and realised that it supported endangered water voles and black grouse so it developed part of the site as habitat for them.
* The site of the company's demolished sewage works in Witton-le-Wear, in County Durham, was redeveloped as a wetland nature reserve;
* The Just an Hour scheme, in which staff are encouraged to take part in wildlife projects.
Stuart Pudney, conservation team leader for the company, said: "Having the Dbap there makes you more focused. You look at a site and ask 'what can we achieve here?' It is about spotting the opportunities and it helps that we are all working together."
Andy Lees, the partnership's implementation officer, said: "Although many of the actions needed are allocated to organisations such as local authorities, wildlife charities and government agencies, there are many objectives which require the help of school, businesses and individuals.
"Large organisations like businesses or public sector bodies can make significant contributions to the conservation of Durham's wildlife, and many already do."
Baps also help implement Government guidance, which gives responsibility to public bodies to take biodiversity into account in decision-making.
The first Durham Bap was published in 1999. A revised copy can be viewed at www.durhambiodiversity.org.uk
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